- Photo: Idayat Hassan*
As Nigeria marks its democracy day, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has called for a free and fair election come 2023 General Elections.
Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, who made the call on Sunday in a statement released in Abuja, stressed that Nigerians deserve more after 23 years of democratic rule,
She urged Nigerians to support initiatives that unite the country and promote good governance.
It would be recalled that Nigeria Democracy Day was previously marked on May 29, being the day the military handed over power to an elected civilian government in 1999.
But the Muhammadu Buhari government changed the day to June 12 in solidarity with MKO Abiola Day, usually celebrated in Lagos and some states to commemorate the democratic election of Abiola on June 12, 1993.
Hassan expressed concerns over the forthcoming election, stressing that any attempt to disrupt peaceful election must be countered by Nigerians.
According to her, credible, free and fair election is as critical as democracy and as such, politicians and all their supporters must prioritise the interest of the nation instead of fueling disunity as the country is already at a crossroad.
“We appreciate the efforts being made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) so far. No Nigerian must be disenfranchised.
“We want the vote of Nigerians to also count. Politicians must understand the plight of Nigerians and desist from any action that will lead to disunity,” Hassan said.
Worried over the state of the nation as well as the economy, especially the growing debt profile and insecurity, Hassan said there was urgent need to revive the economy from total collapse and tackle the root causes of insecurity.
With the nation’s public debt standing at N41 trillion, unemployment rate hovering at over 33 per cent while inflation rose by 16.82 per cent year-on-year in April 2022 and exchange rate already standing at N603 to a naira at the black market, the director said there was need to reverse the gloomy state of the nation’s economy.
“The state of the country is getting worst by the day. The rate of insecurity is now at its height. The devaluation of the naira and disparity between naira and other major currencies is at the peak.
“We can’t continue like this knowing very well that we are one of the fastest growing countries in the world in terms population.
“We therefore urge politicians to focus on issue based campaign and desist from disinformation or fake news. It is also important that politicians desist from using religion and ethnicity to further divide the country. The level of division we have seen is enough. It is time for us to unite,” Hassan said.